NEWS OF TIIE WEEK.
J'jR. FITZGERALD, member for Horsham, raised a debate on Monday on the defences of Canada and the relations between this country and America. It is analyzed elsewhere, but we may mention that throughout the debate the speakers assumed the inde- fensibility of Canada as a fact. Mr. Lowe even considered the cap- ture of the garrison so certain that he would withdraw the troops at once. There is certainly much exaggeration in all this. Suppos- ing us to do for the defence of Canada what we did for the defence of India, which is twice as far away, we could place 70,000 regular troops within the colony, who would be aided by as many more Canadians. The United States cannot draft for foreign war, and to send an army of more than 70,000 men into Canada would strain them as much as it would strain us. We should fight therefore even on land on fairly equal terms, and with the advantage of the defen- sive. In this war no army has won a pitched battle except when attacked. Lord Palmerston, in the midst of declarations most friendly to America, announced that if attacked Great Britain would defend Canada.
